Scripture

But the next morning the same thing happened. Dagon had fallen down before the Ark of the Lord again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only the trunk of his body was left intact.

Observation

The Philistines take the Ark of the Covenant to Ashdod, where they deposit it in the Temple of Dagon. The next morning Dagon is found to be lying face down in front of the Ark of the Lord.

They set the idle upright, but the next morning Dagon has again toppled, his head and hands broken off. Tumours breaks out in Ashdod.

They move the Ark to Gath, but again a plague of tumours breaks out. The Philistines decide that the only solution is to return the Ark of the Covenant to Israel.

Application

False worldviews get you into trouble every time. A wrong mindset leads us to make wrong interpretations, and therefore to make wrong decisions.

The Philistines were shown very clearly that the Lord was greater than Dagon. Twice the idol fell before the Ark, as if worshipping the presence of the Lord. It was stripped of its head and hands, showing that it was powerless before the Lord.

The Philistines failed to see that they should worship the one true God. No, they preferred to protect their weak god by removing the true God from their presence.

We need to see everything in the context of a biblical worldview, so that we can truly understand the ways of the Lord.

Prayer

Father, please teach me your ways. Remove the blinders from my eyes so that I can see you as you really are. Amen